Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his disappointment over the United States' reaction to the latest Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih, his hometown. Zelenskyy, who was critical of the US in his social media post, referred to the US as a 'strong country' and accused it of reacting 'weakly' to Russian strikes. Zelenskyy's statement comes after Russian strikes killed 18 people, including 9 children.
Here's how US ambassador reacted to Russian strikes
Earlier, in a post on social media, US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, on Friday reacted to the Russian strikes, saying, "Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in (Kryvyi Rih). More than 50 people were injured and 16 were killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end."
Ambassador Brink's statement drew criticism as she did not mention Russia's name, prompting responses from social media users and Zelenskyy himself.
Zelenskyy responds to US' reaction
Zelenskyy slammed the US as he said that the "reaction of the US Embassy is unpleasantly surprising". He added, "Such a strong country, such strong people – and such a weak reaction." Zelenskyy's palpable frustration emerged as he said, "They are even afraid to say the word 'Russian' when talking about the missile that killed the children."
Zelenskyy's post praised countries including Japan, Britain, Switzerland and Germany for their “principled statements”.
“Yes, the war must end. But in order to end it, we must not be afraid to call a spade a spade,” he added.
Russian Defence Ministry's big claim
Moreover, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high-explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors was taking place.
While the Ukrainian General Staff rejected Moscow's claims, the Russian military said that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles.
Zelenskyy holds talks with British, French officials
Meanwhile, despite the reluctance of US President Donald Trump to provide security guarantees, Zelenskyy held a meeting with the leaders of the British and French armed forces in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the potential deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force to Ukraine.
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